REMEMBERING ONE OF INDIA'S GREATEST CORPORATE LEADERS

Humility, simplicity, responsibility to the nation and to the less fortunate, and capacity to listen and act are the lessons that Ratan Tata left behind for generations to follow

- KM CHANDRASEKHAR

PRIME Minister Manmohan Singh, worried about the Great Depression of 2008-09, decided to hold a meeting of captains of industry. All the big names were there and Ratan Tata, the foremost among them, was given the prized seat near the PM. I, too, was invited, as much of the implementation of suggestions would fall on my shoulders.

Sitting quietly in my chair, I felt a gentle hand on my back. I turned around, and Tata smiled at me and introduced himself. I had met all corporate chieftains as Revenue Secretary or Cabinet Secretary earlier, but this was the first time I met Ratan Tata.

Manmohan Singh heard all the bigwigs carefully, without interruption, as was his practice, and later discussed some of them with us. Many suggestions were later integrated into the stimulus packages announced by the government and, as a result, India escaped the worst of the crisis and recovered fastest among the major economies.

Later, Tata called me and my wife for dinner at the Tata guesthouse on Prithviraj Road. The guesthouse was diagonally opposite my government bungalow, and my wife and I strolled across the road at the appointed time. I recall Defence Secretary Vijay Singh and Home Secretary GK Pillai were also there. We had a long and pleasant conversation, during which Ratan Tata heard more than he spoke. After his post-retirement tenure as UPSC member, Vijay Singh became one of his most trusted colleagues in the Tata Group, and he is now vice-chairman of Tata Trusts and a nominee member of Tata Sons Board.